Independent Origination

By Peter Della Santina

I am aware of the fact
that many people believe that interdependent origination is a very
difficult subject, and I would not say that there is no truth in that
belief. When Ananda once remarked that, despite its apparent difficulty,
the teaching of interdependent origination is actually quite simple,
the Buddha rebuked him, saying that in fact this teaching is very deep.
The teaching of interdependent origination is certainly one of the
most important and profound teachings in Buddhism. Yet I sometimes
feel that our fear of interdependent origination is to some extent
unwarranted. To begin with, there is nothing particularly difficult
about the term itself. After all, we all know what "interdependence" means,
and what "birth," "origination," or "arising" means.
Only when we begin to examine the function and contents of interdependent
origination do we recognize the fact that it is a very profound and
significant teaching. Some indication of this can be gained from the
Buddha's own statements. The Buddha very frequently expressed his experience
of enlightenment in one of two ways: either in terms of having understood
the Four Noble Truths, or in terms of having understood interdependent
origination. Conversely, he often said that, in order to attain enlightenment,
one has to understand the meaning of these truths.

On the basis of the Buddha's own statements, we can see a very close
relation between the Four Noble Truths and interdependent origination.
What is it that these two formulas have in common? The principle they
have in common is the principle of causality--the law of cause and
effect, of action and consequence. In Chapters 4 and 7, I mentioned
that the Four Noble Truths are divided into two groups--the first two
(suffering and the cause of suffering) and the last two (the end of
suffering and the path to the end of suffering). In both these groups,
it is the law of cause and effect that governs the relationship. In
other words, suffering is the effect of the cause of suffering, and
the end of suffering is the effect of the path to the end of suffering.

Here, too, with interdependent origination, the fundamental principle
at work is that of cause and effect. In interdependent origination,
we have a more detailed description of what actually takes place in
the causal process. Let us take a few examples that illustrate the
nature of interdependent origination used by the Buddha himself. The
Buddha said the flame in an oil lamp burns dependent on the oil and
the wick: when the oil and wick are present, the flame burns, but if
either is absent, the flame will cease to burn. Let us also take the
example of the sprout: dependent on the seed, earth, water, air, and
sunlight, the sprout arises.There are innumerable examples of interdependent
origination because there is no existing phenomenon that is not the
effect of interdependent origination. All these phenomena arise dependent
on a number of causal factors. Very simply, this is the principle of
interdependent origination.

Of course, we are particularly interested in the principle of interdependent
origination insofar as it concerns the problem of suffering and rebirth.
We are interested in how interdependent origination explains the situation
in which we find ourselves here and now. In this sense, it is important
to remember that interdependent origination is essentially and primarily
a teaching that has to do with the problem of suffering and how to
free ourselves from suffering, and not a description of the evolution
of the universe.

Let me briefly list the twelve components, or links, that make up
interdependent origination: (1) ignorance, (2) volition, (3) consciousness,
(4) name and form, (5) the six sense spheres, (6) contact, (7) feeling,
(8) craving, (9) clinging, (10) becoming, (11) birth, and (12) old
age and death. There are two principal ways we can understand these
twelve components. One way to understand them is sequentially, over
the course of three lifetimes--the past life, the present life, and
the future life. In this case, ignorance and volition belong to the
past life. They represent the conditions responsible for the occurrence
of this life. The eight components of consciousness, name and form,
the six sense spheres, contact, feeling, craving, clinging, and becoming
belong to this life. In brief, these eight components constitute the
process of evolution within this lifetime. The last two components,
birth and old age and death, belong to the future life.

With the help of this first scheme, we can see how the twelve components
of interdependent origination are distributed over the three lifetimes--how
the first two, ignorance and volition, result in the emergence of this
life, with its psycho physical personality from the past, and how,
in turn, the actions performed in this life result in rebirth in a
future life. This is one popular and authoritative way of interpreting
the twelve components of interdependent origination. The other interpretation
of the relations among the twelve components of interdependent origination
is also authoritative and has the support of recognized Buddhist masters
and saints. It might be called a cyclical interpretation because it
does not distribute the twelve components over the course of three
lifetimes. Rather, it divides the twelve components into three categories:
(1) afflictions, (2) actions and (3) sufferings.

In this second scheme, the three components of ignorance, craving,
and clinging are viewed as belonging to the group of afflictions; volition
and becoming, to the group of actions; and the remaining seven components--consciousness,
name and form, the six sense spheres, contact, feeling, birth, and
old age and death--to the group of sufferings. By means of this interpretation,
we can see both how the teaching of the Four Noble Truths--and particularly
the teaching of the second truth, that of the cause of suffering--is
conjoined with the teaching of karma and rebirth, and how these two
important teachings together explain, in a more complete way, the process
of rebirth and the origination of suffering.

You may recall that, in the context of discussing the Four Noble Truths,
we said that ignorance, attachment, and ill-will are the causes of
suffering. Now, if we look here at the three components of interdependent
origination that are included in the group of afflictions, we find
ignorance, craving, and clinging. Here, too, ignorance is the most
basic. It is because of ignorance that we crave pleasures of the senses,
existence, and nonexistence. Similarly, it is because of ignorance
that we cling to pleasures of the senses, to pleasant experiences,
to ideas, and most significantly, to the idea of an independent, permanent
self. Thus ignorance, craving, and clinging are the cause of actions.

The two components of interdependent origination that are included
in the group of actions are volition and becoming. Volition refers
to the impressions, or habits, that we have formed in our stream of
conscious moments, or conscious continuum. These impressions are formed
by repeated actions. We can illustrate this with an example from geology.
We know that a river forms its course by a process of repeated erosion.
As rain falls on a hillside, that rain gathers into a rivulet, which
gradually creates a channel for itself and grows into a stream. Eventually,
as the channel of the stream is deepened and widened by repeated flows
of water, the stream becomes a river, with well-defined banks and a
definite course.

In the same way, our actions become habitual. These habits become
part of our personality, and we take these habits with us from life
to life in the form of what we call volition, mental formation, or "habit
energy." Our actions in this life are conditioned by the habits
we have formed over countless previous lifetimes. To return to the
analogy of the channel of a river and the water in it, we might say
that mental formations are the channel of the river, while the actions
that we perform in this life are the fresh water that flows through
the eroded channel created by previous actions. The actions that we
perform in this life are represented by the component known as becoming.
Hence we have the habits that we have developed over the course of
countless lives, combined with new actions performed in this life,
and these two together result in rebirth and suffering.

To summarize, we have the afflictions, which may be described as impurities
of the mind--namely, ignorance, craving, and clinging. These mental
impurities result in actions--both actions done in previous lives,
which result in the formation of habit energy, or volition, and actions
done in the present life, which correspond to the component known as
becoming and which are liable to conform to the patterns established
in previous lives.

Together, these impurities of the mind and these actions result in
rebirth. In other words, they result in consciousness, in name and
form, in the six sense spheres, in contact between the six senses and
the objects of the six senses, in feeling, which is born of that contact,
in birth, and in old age and death. In this interpretation, the five
components of interdependent origination included in the groups of
afflictions and actions--ignorance, craving, clinging, volition, and
becoming--are the causes of rebirth and suffering. The other seven
components--consciousness, name and form, the six sense spheres, contact,
feeling, birth, and old age and death--are the effects of the afflictions
and actions. Together, the afflictions and actions explain the origin
of suffering and the particular circumstances in which each of us finds
him- or herself, the circumstances in which we are born. You may recall
that, in Chapter 8, I referred to the fact that, whereas the afflictions
are common to all living beings, karma differs from person to person.
In other words, although the afflictions account for the fact that
all of us are prisoners within samsara, our actions account for the
fact that some are born as human beings, others as gods, and still
others as animals. In this sense, the twelve components of interdependent
origination present a picture of samsara with its causes and its effects.

There would be no point in painting this picture of samsara if we
did not intend to use it to change our situation, to get out of the
round of birth and death. Recognizing the circularity of samsara, the
circularity of interdependent origination, is the beginning of liberation.
How is this so? As long as afflictions and actions are present, rebirth
and suffering will occur. When we see that ignorance, craving, clinging,
and actions repeatedly lead to rebirth and suffering, we will recognize
the need to break this vicious circle.

Let us take a practical example. Suppose you are looking for the home
of an acquaintance you have never visited before. Suppose you have
been driving about for half an hour and have failed to find the home
of your friend, and suppose suddenly you recognize a landmark and it
dawns on you that you passed it half an hour ago. At that moment it
will also dawn on you that you have been going around in circles, and
you will stop and look at your road map, or inquire the way from a
passerby so as to stop going around in circles and reach your destination.

This is why the Buddha said that he who sees interdependent origination
sees the Dharma, and he who sees the Dharma sees the Buddha. This is
also why he said that understanding interdependent origination is the
key to liberation. Once we see the functioning of interdependent origination,
we can set about breaking its vicious circle. We can do this by removing
the impurities of the mind--ignorance, craving, and clinging. Once
these impurities are eliminated, actions will not be performed and
habit energy will not be produced. Once actions cease, rebirth and
suffering will also cease.I would like to spend a little time on another
important meaning of interdependent origination--namely, interdependent
origination as an expression of the Middle Way. In Chapters 3 and 4,
we had occasion to refer to the Middle Way, but confined ourselves
to

only the most basic meaning of the term. We said that the Middle Way
means avoiding the extreme of indulgence in pleasures of the senses
and also the extreme of self-mortification. In that context, the Middle
Way is synonymous with moderation.

In the context of interdependent origination, the Middle Way has another
meaning, which is related to its basic meaning, but deeper. In this
context, the Middle Way means avoiding the extremes of eternalism and
nihilism. How is this so? The flame in an oil lamp exists dependent
on the oil and the wick. When either of these is absent, the flame
will be extinguished. Therefore, the flame is neither permanent nor
independent. Similarly, this personality of ours depends on a combination
of conditions: the afflictions and karma. It is neither permanent nor
independent.Recognizing the conditioned nature of our personalities,
we avoid the extreme of eternalism, that is, of affirming the existence
of an independent, permanent self. Alternatively, recognizing that
this personality, this life, does not arise by accident or mere chance
but is conditioned by corresponding causes, we avoid the extreme of
nihilism, that is, of denying the relation between actions and their
consequences.Although nihilism is the primary cause of rebirth in states
of woe and is to be rejected, eternalism, too, is not conducive to
liberation. One who clings to the extreme of eternalism will perform
wholesome actions and be reborn in states of happiness, as a human
being or even as a god, but he will never attain liberation. Through
avoiding these two extremes--through understanding the Middle Way--we
can achieve happiness in this life and in future lives by performing
wholesome actions and avoiding unwholesome actions, and eventually
achieve liberation as well.

The Buddha constructed his teachings with infinite care. Indeed, the
way he taught is sometimes likened to the behavior of a tigress toward
her young. When a tigress carries her young in her teeth, she is most
careful to see that her grip is neither too tight nor too loose. If
her grip is too tight, it will injure or kill her cub; if it is too
loose, the cub will fall and will also be hurt. Similarly, the Buddha
was careful to see that we avoid the extremes of eternalism and nihilism.
Because he saw that clinging to the extreme of eternalism would bind
us in samsara, the Buddha was careful to teach us to avoid belief in
an independent, permanent self; seeing that the possibility of freedom
could be destroyed by the sharp teeth of belief in a self, he therefore
asked us to avoid the extreme of eternalism. Understanding that clinging
to the extreme of nihilism would lead to catastrophe and rebirth in
the states of woe, the Buddha was also careful to teach the reality
of the law of cause and effect, or moral responsibility; seeing that
we would fall into the misery of the lower realms should we deny this
law, he therefore taught us to avoid the extreme of nihilism. This
dual objective is admirably achieved through the teaching of interdependent
origination, which safeguards not only our understanding of the conditioned
and impermanent nature of the personality, but also our understanding
of the reality of the law of cause and effect.

In the context of interdependent origination, we have established
the conditioned and impermanent nature of the personality, or self,
by exposing its dependent nature. In the chapters that follow, we will
arrive at the impermanence and impersonality of the self through examining
its composite nature and analyzing it into its constituent parts. By
these means, we will elucidate the truth of not-self that opens the
door to enlightenment.

From The Tree of Enlightenment:
An Introduction to the Major Traditions of Buddhism,
by Peter Della Santina. With permission of the author.